Pages

3.8.16

THE DEATH OF ACHILLES, by Boris Akunin

3/series, translated from the Russian. Returning to Russia after six years in Japan, the mesmerizing Erast Fandorin is at once thrust into high-level plots and counter-plots when the country's most celebrated general is found dead in his hotel suite. Once again, the mesmerizing sleuth finds murder where nobody else has. The general, Sobolev, known to the adoring masses as the White General, is also known to Fandorin (they had fought together in The Turkish Gambit, reviewed in another post on this blog). Immediately, Fandorin knows all is not as arranged. Click here for more...Fandorin has brought back with him some very odd habits (Morning ice baths? In Russia?) and a Japanese servant named Masa who owes Fandorin his life. The relationship is a delightful one, and Masa is as quirky as his master. As the stakes mount and the threats escalate, Fandorin finds himself in dicier situations than ever. This 19th century James Bond (without the girls) will charm you, and Akunin's writing will please you no end. This one's a 4, but you may rate it higher.
Find the author's marvelously entertaining web site at www.boris-akunin.com
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